Dean Hale

Quite rare for me to stumble across a bargain. £43 from amazon warehouse. A couple of very small marks on the side. No doubt i shall shortly add my own when clambering around in the dark.

In no particular order. I only started this when the pubs shut so everything was unplanned. I may at the time have spent the odd pound or two in the pub so had a little spare cash. Baader Classic Q 2.25x Barlow Baader Morpheus eyepieces Baader Ortho 10mm Baader Ortho 18mm Celestron Halloween 40mm plossl BST StarGuider 25mm ED Eyepiece BST StarGuider 15mm ED Eyepiece Sky-Watcher Stainless Steel Tripod Berlebach Report 312 Tripod Rigel collimation cap Sky-Watcher 130ps Bresser 102/460 Berlbach U10 adapter Scopetech Zero mount Scopetech Zero mount adapter Slow motion controls Televue 25mm plossl Televue 20mm plossl Televue 15mm plossl Televue 8mm plossl Loads of Wera hex keys Vixen SLVs StellaLyra 20mm StellaLyra Kitkaru 25mm AZ-GTI AZ-GTI counterbalance system 2KG counterweight 9x50 finderscope 9x30 finderscope Red dot finder Picatinny weaver rail Talentcell power pack A Bumbag 8x40 Binoculars Colour filters Baader Neodynium filter Baader Natural Density Filter Astonomik UHC filter SVBony filters Manfrotto tripod adapter Astro Essentials moon filter SVBony 8-24 Zoom 2 x ADM Clamps 1 x mini clamp StellaMira 1.25 Diagonal Takahashi 1.25 Diagonal Explore Scientific 2" Diagonal 1:10 Gear set focuser Baader 2" reducer 2" Aero ED eyepiece Baader Semi APO Filter StellaMira 80mm ED F/10 ZWO 120MC-S AZ5 Mount Variety of bolts SVBony helical focuser ASIAIR original ASIAIR PRO Lens spanner Warm socks Samsung tablet for ASIAIR Micro SD cards 101mm Tube rings Dovetal bar Baader Quick Release Shoe Red light torch More Blue Pier Pentax 8.5mm XF Grease Smartphone adapter mounts x2 Gloves Nosecaps x2 Plug caps x2 Soft pastels Sketch book Pencils Eye patch Flip mirror Foldable stool USB cables Zeiss Lens wipes Wood storage boxes Lots of books Sky at Night magazine subscription Geoptik Nadira chair (arriving on Friday) Celestron Ultima Edge 10mm (arriving next week) *above still less than a modest Takahashi telescope.

Amazing how I get excited by a chunk of metal but it's solid isn't it. Just waiting on my M10 adaptor and should be good to go too.

Most certainly yes and I've enjoyed every purchase whether it be new or second hand.

Wish i'd bought a cushion. Not that comfy without.

Very tempting. However must buy my lovely wife a kitchen then maybe just maybe. Enjoy they all look superb.

Just stumbled across this and the steps to strengthen the connections between the Scopetech and the Report. Thank you. Well another £80 spent. Safety first and all that. 🙂

Will do. The next two nights are looking promising. Just had a little test during the day time and eye placement for the Pentax seems to be tricky. The StellaLyra is a handsome chap but it's the inside that i need to work - daytime pic seems ok from the StellaLyra. Many more knowledgable people here who may see issues - but i think it'll do nicely.

My monthly treat, A delivery from FLO and Amazon - earned after a testing few weeks at work or so i tell myself. The book "a history of the Universe in 100 stars" thank you to the SGL member who mentioned this in an earlier post. Asiair Pro - surprised how much heavier this is than the original Asiair. Pentax XF 8.5 and the StellaLyra 25mm - looking forward to trying both. Some caps always need more caps.

Affinity Photo. Recolour, Levels, several Curves, Clarity, Noise reduction and Selective colour. Second image same initial process then moved into Photoshop and then used Photokemi and Annies Actions - Space dust, star reduction, dust lanes and noise reduction.

Still a lovely telescope and on my list to buy.

Hi Stu, i think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you use it.

@Stephenstargazer It certainly is - multiple uses, also arrives with an indispensable carry bag. The music sold it for me.

A foldable stool. A few people have recommended them on SGL and it is actually quite nifty.

+1 for Ventusky too. One of the few apps i've actually paid for.

Yes it is. Can cope with 15kg apparently, so manages quite well with the StellaMira.

Mosaic of 12. Taken with the mighty ZWO-120mc. Processed in Astrosurface. A little washed out in places however the best i have managed so far.

@Telescope40Picked it up from Amazon for £12.51 although the price has crept back up - just pop it in your basket and it'll notify you of any changes in price. Very comprehensive at over 500 pages, and of importance - it 's easy to understand.

The book - Astronomical wonders and a diagonal in a nice box. It's tiny. The only Takahashi product i shall own for the foreseeable future. Funds are due to be diverted to the hospitality sector as i wish to see Family and Friends and be merry.

Just a very simple photo on a pixel 5. Quick open of the door to let the cat inside. Always a quick look upwards, and the plough looking lovely.

Think i may look into recycling a chopping board. 🙂 @jock1958 The Scopetech Zero mount holds a StellaMira and vibrations are minimal - not sure if there is any noticeable difference between the DIY effort and the long cables apart from a usability point of view. I have tried this on my old Skywatcher Explorer 130p and Avant mount with a basic tripod which did like to shudder with any movement and this is much improved over the supplied knobs. Test is to try it in anger and see how it fares and if the grub screws continue to grip (but easy to fix) - maybe once the clouds disappear.

Hi @jock1958 interesting to learn how you overcame the problems you had - maybe a little too much DIY for me though. One more little change. Rooting round 'my might come in useful someday box' i found a rubber spacer (from a washing machine i think) - slots onto the end so much easier to grip and turn now. Just need some decent weather to see if it holds up to constant use. By the way. I do like the wooden eyepiece holder.

Thanks John appreciate the 👍 up

Yes and light 140 grams for the one i have.

My skillset is definitely not DIY. But it seems to work. Impossible to find short slow motion control cables at the moment. The ones i have are too long and i'm constantly knocking them in the dark. I also need the control to be long enough to clear the ADM clamp so needed some kind of extension. Browsed amazon and purchased below. 2x 6mm to 6mm Bore Rigid Coupling Set Screw 2x Round Steel Rod 6mm HSS Lathe Bar Stock 2x Rigid Flange Coupling Motor Guide Shaft Coupler Motor Connectors - swapped one of these for a knob i had on a old avant mount. I'm certain there are more convenient ways to do this - but for £12 not much to lose and a way to ease boredom - the prices seem so go up and down a few ££s every other day. If what i've done is a big no no do let me know.